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Transitioning First Year Latinx Students Through Schlossberg’s 4 S System

Alex Astiazaran, Ray Enriquez, Olivia Monteiro, and Yenifer Mora

Department of Counseling and Higher Education, Northern Illinois University

HESA 522: College Student Developmental Theory

Dr. Carrie Kortegast

November 11, 2020

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Transitioning First Year Latinx Students Through Schlossberg’s 4 S System

Student success is a central goal to many institutions and to many staff and faculty

members at institutions of higher education. But what does success mean? To people that focus

on numbers, retention, persistence and graduation rate may be the biggest measures of success.

To others, it may lie in the way students feel that they are supported, cared for, and that they

have the tools to thrive in these institutions.

In this paper we will address the issue we are trying to tackle with our programmatic

intervention, a review of the current literature that exists regarding HSI’s and Latinx students

transition to college, the context of our pragmatic intervention, our justification for our pragmatic

intervention, and lastly an outline of our pragmatic intervention.

The Issue

The focus of this programmatic intervention is to provide a method to ease the transition

for first year Latinx students at Northern Illinois University (NIU). The program includes a

workshop series that provides resources to help with transition while simultaneously enhancing

Latinx students ethnic identity. NIU is notated as an emerging Hispanic Serving Institution (HIS)

and they aim for Hispanic Serving designation by 2023 (NIU 2019).

Although NIU does not yet meet the criteria to be an HSI, it is crucial that we

look at the literature that exists for HSIs as the university is looking to reach that designation in a

few short years. Looking at existing literature on HSIs allows us to create programming that not

only addresses problems that Latinx students may encounter during their time in higher

education, regardless of an institution’s designation, but also allows us to create programs that

foster Latinx students’ abilities to thrive in institutions that are designated to serve their best

interest.
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Literature Review

The literature that will be reviewed is broken up into two distinct sections. The first

section will look at the literature that exists in regards to Hispanic Serving Institutions and what

opportunities and resources they provide for Latinx students. The second section of literature will

discuss Latinx students transition into higher education as a whole.

Garcia

Although an institutions designation as an HSI is a federal designation, Garcia

posits that the true identity of an HSI as Latinx-serving must be co-constructed with students and

non-students in order to reimagine what it means to be an HSI outside of enrollment and

graduation rates (Garcia, 2016). Garcia chose to use a case study as their method for collecting

data in which they chose one HIS to conduct their research (Garcia 2015). Through Garcia’s

research, they asked both students and non-students (faculty, staff, and community members) to

construct the Latinx-serving identity of the institution in which they conducted the case study

(Garcia, 2016).

The central themes Garcia picked up on from the participants responses were 1)

Providing Access to Students through a Regional Focus, meaning that the institution is accessible

to the community it resides in. 2) Giving back to the community, meaning that students see their

own connection to the community their institution resides in and have a desire to connect with it

culturally, 3) connecting with students on a cultural level, meaning that the institution supports

culturally relevant programs and curriculum 4) seeing students as co-creators of knowledge,

meaning that the institution fostered a classroom environment that allowed students to share their

racialized experiences, 5) believing that all students can be successful, meaning that the
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institution finds ways to support its students academically regardless of how prepared they

entered the institution (Garcia, 2016).

Cuellar

Cuellar focused her study on the academic self-concepts of Latinx students at

HSI’s, emerging HIS’s and non-HSI’s. Cuellar used two surveys from 2004 and 2008 to gather

their data in regards to how students rated themselves compared to their peers in academic

ability, drive to achieve, mathematical ability, and intellectual self-confidence (Cuellar, 2014).

Cuellar found that although Latinx students who entered HSI’s and emerging HSI’s had a lower

academic self-concept than Latinx students who attended non-HSI’s, the gap closes and students

at HSI’s and emerging HSI’s see themselves with a greater sense of academic self-concept. In

the end Cuellar found that, although more research does need to be conducted, institutional

context cannot be ignored when studying Latinx students’ academic self-concept. Cueller posits

that the different racial context of each institution cannot be ignored as it relates to racial climate,

curriculum, and co-curriculum elements.

Guardia and Evans

Ethnic identity development is an important category that cannot be ignored when

discussing Latinx students within an HSI. Guardia and Evans studied the ethnic identity

development of Latino Fraternity members at an HSI. Guardia and Evans conducted their

research by giving members of a Latino fraternity a series of questions followed by interviews

with each and a focus group. Both acknowledged that attending an HSI fostered the participant’s

ethnic identity development, joining a Latino organization fostered the development further by

giving participants a group in which they held strong bonds to in the sense of “brotherhood” and
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allowed them to interact with people who identified with different Latin American countries than

their own.

Hurtado, Carter, Spuler

This study is well cited within various literature that pertains to Latinx college

students and their transition to college. This is an early study that looked at high achieving

Latinx students and how they adjusted to college life between their first and second year in

regards to academic adjustment, social adjustment, personal-emotional adjustment, and

attachment to their institutions by administering The Student Adaptation to College

Questionnaire. They found that Latinx students had trouble adjusting to their universities when

they felt that the racial climate held tension and experienced covert discrimination by their white

peers. The best indicator of Latinx students transitioning well from their first year was an

institutions willingness to support these students through programing in regards to academics,

interacting with students outside of their ethnic group, as well as opportunities to interact with

upperclassmen (Hurtado, Carter, Spuler, 1996).

Hurtado and Carter also conducted a follow-up study from their information in 1996 to

study how Latinx students continued to transition into their second and third year of college.

They found from this study that students who were involved in religious and social-community

organizations enhanced a student’s sense of belonging in their institutions. Much like their

previous study, Hurtado and Carter also saw that negative interactions in regards to the college’s

racial climate continued to negatively affect a student’s sense of belonging into their second and

third years (Hurtado & Carter 1997).

Arana, Castaneda-Sound, Blanchard, Aguilar

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This study aimed to uncover what factors play into Hispanic Students persistence

in college. Arana et. Al. broke up student responses into three categories: “Student context, such

as family issues and first generation status. 2. College context factors that create hurdles or

bridges in persistence. 3. The interaction between the student and college context (Arana et. Al.

2011). The study found that certain student context can be seen as a strength and motivation to

persist and not a hindrance on the students capabilities such as being first generation and having

family strains while in school. Arana et. Al. write that “universities should create an environment

that simultaneously utilizes the familiar cultural and familial connections and alleviates the

pressures arising from the student context” (Arana et.al. 2011). They continue to suggest that the

only way to alleviate these pressures is to bridge both contexts together by giving Hispanic

students resources when trouble arises and encouraging students to speak up when their troubles

arise as well.

Context

Northern Illinois University (NIU), located in DeKalb, Illinois is where our

programmatic intervention will take place. More specifically, the program will be hosted and

sponsored by the Latino Resource Center.

The Latino Resource Center

The Latino Resource Center (LRC) is a cultural resource center and falls under the

Division of Academic Affairs. It also offers many programs and student organizations for

students who are a part of the Latinx population on NIU’s campus. The LRC has extensive

values and missions for its students. Those values include fostering an inclusive environment and

promoting social justice as well as empower and advance Latinx students (Mission and Value,

NIU-Latino Resource Center, para. 1). According to the LRC webpage on the NIU website, the
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center strives to achieve their missions by offering Latinx students the opportunity for

mentorship, leadership, peer support, and academic achievement (para. 1).

The LRC has stated on their webpage that they are committed to help Latinx students feel

safe while expressing their respective nationalities, languages, genders, sexual orientations,

citizenship and immigrant statues (para. 2). Additionally, there is a commitment to promotion of

success and collaborative efforts of involvement within the local community as well as within

the university. Within these goals the LRC strives to address issues that affect the Latinx

population on campus and in the community (Mission and Value, NIU-Latino Resource Center,

para. 2).

The LRC has a rich history within the modern history of NIU. For example, the first

resource center for Latinx students was founded around 1978, however it was called University

Resources for Latinos at that time and as the amount of resources and organizations grew, there

was a greater need for a larger center (History, NIU-Latino Resource Center, para. 1). The

current building where the LRC is hosted was founded in 1999 during the summer, where there

are currently 24 student organizations for Latinx students to be a part of (History, NIU-Latino

Resource Center, para 2).

In addition to student organizations, the LRC offers other resources and programming for

Latinx students. Through the LRC there are five main programs that are offered for Latinx

students. Those programs include Adela de la Torre Latino Honor Society (ATLHS), De Mujer a

Mujer, Mentoring and Engaging Thru Academic Success (METAS), Supporting Opportunities

for Latinos (SoL), and Vanguardia Afirmativa de Latinos Unidos (VALU) (About, NIU-Latino

Resource Center, Para. 1).

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For context, the following is a small summary of each program as listed on the LRC

webpage on the NIU website. ATLHS is an honor society for Latinx students on NIU’s campus

that helps to recognize success for Latinx students in academics and leadership (About, NIU-

Latino Resource Center, para. 1). De Mujer a Mujer is a program that is geared toward Latinx

women and is a program that helps those students to foster self-awareness and other confidence

bolstering aspects to help with future careers and retention (About, NIU-Latino Resource Center,

para. 2). Similarly, SoL, helps Latino men with their navigation of academics, self-confidence,

and other professional developmental aspects of learning and career (About, NIU-Latino

Resource Center, para. 4). However, METAS is a program at the LRC that is meant for all

Latinx students who are freshman or first year students at NIU; they are assigned a mentor who

helps them with their transition into NIU (About, NIU-Latino Resource Center, para. 3). While

all of these programs are meant to help NIU students specifically, VALU is meant to help both

the NIU community and the DeKalb community. VALU is for Latinx high school students from

the surrounding DeKalb/Sycamore communities to help create a space where Latinx can express

themselves and bring forward issues safely (About, NIU-Latino Resource Center, para. 5).

With all of the contextual information discussed, it is important to understand who the

programmatic intervention is for. Our intervention is geared towards Latinx students who are

freshman or first-year students at the university. By framing the program around Latinx students,

the intervention will provide support to people who are experiencing the same transition but may

need different supports. Transitions are different for each individual but the first year Latinx

population is the focus because NIU does not have a specified in-depth program for introducing

resources to these students.

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Another reason that we are framing our intervention around Latinx students is for the

reason that NIU is striving to become a Hispanic Serving Institution. As stated on the NIU

website under their Strategic Enrollment Plan, the institution plans to increase their Latinx

population by nine percent (Goal Two, para. 1). Our program will support this goal because we

will support Latinx students and ultimately help with retention.

Theoretical Framework

The program intervention we developed is based on Schlossberg’s Transition Framework

and the 4 S System. The transition model is in three major parts: Approaching Transitions,

Taking Stock of Coping Resources, and Taking Charge. (Anderson, Goodman, & Schlossberg,

2012). Approaching transition step seeks to identify the type of transition and how far along the

person is in the transition process. Taking stock of the coping resources is the 4 S system:

Situation, Self, Support, and Strategies. Taking charge is using those resources and strengthening

them.

For our intervention, we will be focusing on the second part of the transition model,

Taking Stock of Coping Resources, and the 4 S System. Each workshop in our intervention will

focus on one of the 4 S’s to provide resources to address those needs. As the targeted students

are entering college, each S will provide them with resources they may use as they progress

through their college careers.

The 4 S System

Situation investigates the nature of the transition and how the transition has affected the

student. Was the transition planned or sudden? Did the student have control over the transition?

What are the stresses associated with the transition? Key characteristics of Situation are timing,

prior experiences, concurrent stress, and assessment.

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Self looks individually at the person experiencing the transition. What is their

personality? How do they react to transitions? Key characteristics of Self are a person’s identity,

outlook, and physical wellbeing. With the Self S, we will be targeting resources that link students

with others with similar identities who have gone through similar experiences.

Support focuses on the relationships a student has with others. Anderson divides support into

four different groups: “intimate relationships, family units, networks of friends, and the

institutions and/or communities of which the people are a part.” (Anderson, Goodman, &

Schlossberg, 2012, p. 84) For the purpose of our intervention, we will focus on the latter two,

network of friends and the community.

Strategies refer to the coping strategies used when a person is experiencing stress. Those

strategies can be used to respond to stress in three ways: address the source of the stress, modify

the meaning of the stress, and manage the stress after the incident. The goal of the intervention

will not be to eliminate the stressors but to provide resources the students can draw from

whenever they need a strategy to combat stress.

Justification

We know this theory is an appropriate framework for our intervention because a student

experiences transition across their entire college career, not just during their first term. We chose

to target first year Latinx students to give them the resources they need to work through

transitions as they get older and advance in their students. The workshops outlined in our

intervention program will provide the students with the resources they need to properly navigate

through a transition whenever it may occur, even after they have left our institution. This theory

does not focus on a specific moment in a person's life so it can be implemented whenever a
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student requires help working through a transition in their lives, whether that transition is

academic or social.

Programmatic Intervention

We will host a series of workshops directed toward first year Latinx students at Northern

Illinois University. The goal of our workshop series will be to positively impact the retention and

persistence of Latinx identifying first year college students at Northern Illinois University, The

workshop series will be hosted at the university’s Latino Resource Center’s smart classroom .

These workshops will utilize Schlossberg's 4 S System as a guide to help Latinx students with

their transition in their first year as college freshmen. This theory provides factors that can

influence a person's ability to cope with transition. These 4 factors are Situation, Self, Support,

and Strategies. Each factor will serve as a guide for a workshop in our series .

The first workshop will be guided by the Situation factor. This workshop will be an hour

long and will be dedicated to discussing varying situations that first-year college students might

find themselves in. These situations will focus predominantly on academic, relationship,

financial, and health situations. We will discuss how background factors impact situations and

how students can navigate and recognize situations they are in. Key concepts for the workshop

will be inspired by the 4 S explanation of the situation. Students understanding that situations

will occur throughout their college experience is essential to preparing them to navigate these

situations. Allowing students to navigate in a programmatic way that is more beneficial to their

academic persistence and retention.

The next workshop will be guided by the Self factor of the 4 S system. This workshop

will be a one and a half hour discussion panel that will feature current Latinx students as well as

alumni. There will be four panelists in total, two current students and two alumni, who identify
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as Latinx. The discussion will focus on how the panelists navigated and are currently navigating

their transition to college. We will have a set of questions for the panelists and allow for

audience members to interject and participate in the conversation. This panel discussion will

focus on the experiences of adversity and resilience of the panelists throughout their first year of

college. The goal of the panel will be to utilize the “psychological resources” (Anderson,

Goodman, & Schlossberg, 2012 p 78 ) people use to cope, as defined in the Self factor of the 4 S

system. Thus, creating a sense of optimism for the first year Latinx students to persist in college.

Hearing tales of alumni and current students will help the first year students feel more

autonomous as well as develop a sense of control over their college experience. The last half

hour will serve as a mixer to allow panelists as well as audience members to mingle and form

new bonds.

The third workshop will be guided by the Support S of the 4 S system. This workshop

will be a two hour networking workshop with student organizations at Northern Illinois

University’s Latino Resource Center. The Center hosts a multitude of student organizations. The

organizations have varying emphasis and interests that we hope will appeal to first year students.

The Support S of the 4 S system discusses how multiple forms of support exist, however

not every support type will be beneficial for everyone. Therefore, the student organizations will

host information tables with members detailing the benefits and experiences of joining their

organizations. First year students will have two hours to visit student organization information

tables that will be set up in the driveway of the Latino Resource Center. The student

organizations will be notified and confirmed at least two weeks prior to the event. The Latino

Resource Center can also sponsor by providing food for the event and student performers can be

utilized for live entertainment. This networking event will allow students to meet and potentially
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join organizations that will benefit them in their transition to the university. These organizations

will serve as support for students throughout their college experience and will have a positive

impact in terms of retention and persistence.

The fourth and final workshop will be guided by the Strategies S of the 4 S system. This

hour and a half workshop will be focused on success strategies for first year Latinx students. We

will utilize representatives of Northern Illinois University Career Services, ACCESS Tutoring

and Support Services, and Financial Aid office. Each representative will be given twenty

minutes to present on what services and strategies they provide to promote student success.

There will be allocated question time spanning five to ten minutes per presentation. Students will

then be given a small worksheet in which they will have to choose the best office for help in

specific scenarios. Understanding the resources and strategies these offices offer will provide

students with outlines toward success that will positively impact retention and persistence.

We will utilize surveying to gauge our intervention. Surveys will be administered at the

conclusion of each workshop as well as a Qualtrics survey link that will serve as an exit ticket.

Finally, we will email a Qualtrics survey to students who participated 5 years later in order to

gauge the workshops series impact on retention and persistence.

Conclusion

To summarize, our programmatic intervention, we are proposing a workshop-based

series. By basing our intervention on the 4 S System of transition theory, we propose that for

NIU to become an HSI, they must introduce programs that foster inclusion, support, and

encourage retention. By hosting a workshop series through the LRC that is specified for first year

Latinx students, there should be an increase in retention. With such an increase there comes the
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higher number of Latinx students served. Therefore, NIU would obtain its goal of becoming an

HSI.
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References

About - NIU - Latino Resource Center. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2020, from

https://www.niu.edu/lrc/about/index.shtml

Anderson, M. L., Goodman, J., & Schlossberg, N. K. (2012). Counseling adults in transition:

Linking Schlossberg's theory with practice in a diverse world, 37-60. New York:

Springer.

Anderson, M. L., Goodman, J., & Schlossberg, N. K. (2012). Counseling adults in transition:

Linking Schlossberg's theory with practice in a diverse world, 61-93. New York:

Springer.

Arana, R., Castañeda-Sound, C., Blanchard, S., & Aguilar, T. E. (2011). Indicators of Persistence

for Hispanic Undergraduate Achievement: Toward an Ecological Model. Journal of

Hispanic Higher Education, 10(3), 237–251. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538192711405058

Cuellar, M. (2014). The impact of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), emerging HSIs, and

non-HSIs on Latina/o academic self-concept. The Review of Higher Education, 37, 499–

530. doi:10.1353/rhe.2014.0032

Garcia, G.A. (2016). Complicating a Latina/o-serving Identity at a Hispanic Serving Institution.

The Review of Higher Education 40(1), 117-143. doi:10.1353/rhe.2016.0040.

Goal Two - NIU - Strategic Enrollment Management Plan. Retrieved November 09, 2020 from

https://www.niu.edu/enrollment-plan/goal-2.shtml

Guardia, J. R., & Evans, N. J. (2008). Factors influencing the ethnic identity development of

Latino fraternity members at a Hispanic Serving Institution. Journal of College Student

Development, 49, 163–181. doi:10.1353/csd.0.0011

History - NIU - Latino Resource Center. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2020, from
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https://www.niu.edu/lrc/about/history.shtml

Hurtado, S., Carter, D. F., & Spuler, A. (1996). Latino student transition to college: Assessing

difficulties and factors in successful college adjustment. Research in Higher Education,

37(2), 135–157.

Hurtado, S., & Carter, D. (1997). Effects of College Transition and Perceptions of the Campus

Racial Climate on Latino College Students' Sense of Belonging. Sociology of Education,

70(4), 324-345. doi:10.2307/2673270

Mission and Vision - NIU - Latino Resource Center. (n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2020, from

https://www.niu.edu/lrc/about/mission.shtml
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Appendix

(A) Situational Workshop Breakdown

Location: Latino Resource Center Smart Classroom

(Reserved at least two weeks prior to event)

Topic: Recognizing and Navigating various college situations that may or may not occur during
students first year as Latinx college students

Guided by: Situational S of the 4 S System

Length: 1 Hour

Audience: 1st year Latinx students at Northern Illinois University.

(Audience note: Our list of 1st year Latinx Participants will come from the List that is provided
by the University to the Latino Resource Center.)

Presentation:
15 minutes will be dedicated to describing and defining situations. Once students know the
vocabulary around situations, creating an understanding of how background impacts and makes
situations that are similar and unique will be a lot easier.

Activity:
(Activity Note: The attendance of the event will impact how the activity can be done. If
attendance is low the activity can be done in one large group. The activity can be done in
smaller groups of 4-5 students if attendance is high)

10 minutes: will be dedicated to Academic situations. In this 10 minutes students will spend
time creating possible academic situations. Lastly students will identify key aspects of the
situation that can make experience with the situation unique.

10 minutes: will be dedicated to relationship situations. In this 10 minutes students will spend
time creating hypothetical relationship situations that can occur in their first year. Students will
identify aspects of their created situations in accordance to vocabulary. Students will then
recognize aspects that can impact their created situation in order to understand how situations
can become unique.

10 minutes will be dedicated to health situations. Students will create viable health situations
that may occur in college. utilizing vocabulary from the presentation students will identify
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aspects of their situations. Next students will discuss background aspects that can influence and
make health situations unique.

10 minutes will be dedicated to remedy the created situations. Students will be asked to find a
resource on campus that may help with their created situations. Examples can be the academic
advisor for academic situations, Counseling and Consolation for relationship situations, and
health services for health related situations.

5 minutes Administered Survey for workshop and Provide information for other workshops in
the series.
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(B) Surviving First Year Panel Workshop Breakdown

Location: Latino Resource Center Smart Classroom

(Reserved at least two weeks prior to event)

Topic: 4 Panelists consisting of 2 current students as well as 2 alumni will discuss their trials and
tribulations of their first year as a Latinx college student.

Guided by: Self S of the 4 S System

Length: 1 Hour 30 minutes

Audience: 1st year Latinx students at Northern Illinois University.

(Audience note: Our list of 1st year Latinx Participants will come from the List that is provided
by the university to the Latino Resource Center.

Panelists Search: Things to consider while searching for panelists are the identities they
prescribe to, as well as their recognizability to the students who will attend the workshop. It also
may be beneficial to seek panelists who were involved on campus as a way to inspire the first
year students by providing experiences that may be foriegn to them. Alumni and current
students who participate in or are members of Organizations and Clubs that occupy the Latino
Resource Center should be given priority. These organizations are well established

Paneled discussion

50 minutes will be dedicated to panelist responses to questions regarding their transition to their
first year of college. Panelists will be given the questions in advance in order to form answers
prior to the event that can really benefit students. The intention is for the panelists’ past first year
Latinx college experience to impact the experience of the current 1st year Latinx students. We
want the panelists to provide information that they wish would have been presented to them in
their first year of college.

10 minutes will be for participant questions. This will be an opportunity to answer questions
directly from our participants which will also help us gauge what information the students may
need.

Panel Questions:
1. What fears or worries did you have coming into your first year as a Latinx college
student?
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2. What issues and obstacles stood out to you during your time as a 1st year college
student?

3. What campus resources did you utilize to overcome those obstacles?

4. How did you get “ Comfortable” on campus?

5. What or who did you rely on to overcome obstacles that campus resources could not
aid?

6. What are things you regretted not attending or participating in your first year as
Latinx college students ?

7. What experiences in your first year benefit you today?

8. How do your experiences in your first year as college Latinx students differ from the
other panelists?

9. What is your favorite memory of your 1st year as a latinx college student?

10. How does the Latinx Student experience differ from other student experiences on
campus?

11. What Motivated you throughout your first year as a Latinx college student? Are
you still motivated by the same things today

12. What is something you learned in your first year as a latinx college student?

13. What advice do you wish someone would have told you as a first year Latinx
student?
Mixer

30 minutes will be dedicated for the mixer portion of the workshop. Participants will have the
opportunity to familiarize themselves with the Latino Resource Center. Participants will also
have the ability to mingle and converse at this time. Our hope is that friendships and networking
can occur in order to make students feel like they belong on campus.
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(C) Networking Involvement workshop

Location: Latino Resource Center driveway

(Reserved at least two weeks prior to event)

Topic: Students will have the opportunity to visit informational tables for various Latinx student
organizations. Students will also have the opportunity to seek and find support through seeking
membership in these organizations. The various types of students organization will give students
options in finding organizational support that is tailored to their wants and needs.

Guided by : Support S of the 4 S System

Length: 2 Hours

Audience: 1st year Latinx students at Northern Illinois University.

(Audience note: Our list of 1st year Latinx Participants will come from the List that is provided
by the university to the Latino Resource Center.)

Student organization : will have many reasons for wanting to participate in our networking
event. It will be a good recruitment opportunity for their organizations. Students organizations
will be responsible for setting up and cleaning up, they will be offered community service hours
that might be necessary requirements or pillars of their respective organizations/ councils.
(Student Organizations should confirm their participation 2 weeks in advance)

1 hour and 40 minutes: will be dedicated to the networking event.

20 minutes: The last 20 minutes of the event will be dedicated to announcements and clean up
by the participating organizations. Announcement should regard future events, informationals
and programs that the organizations plan to host. These announcements will give 1st generation
Latinx students multiple avenues of support; allowing them to truly find the best support that fits
them. The qualtrics link for workshop assessment will also be administered at this time. As well
as announcing the last workshop in the series.
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(D) 1st year Resources Workshop

Location: Latino Resource Center Smart Classroom

(Reserved at least two weeks prior to event)

Topic: Various NIU offices will present to our first year Latinx students. These offices include
Financial Aid office , ACESS Tutor Center, and Career Services. Each office will have time
alloted to present and to answer participants' questions. The approach of the presentations should
center on how their respective office can be utilized strategically to help students succeed in their
first year of college.

Guided by the Strategy S of the 4 S System.

Length: 1 Hour 30 min

Audience: 1st year Latinx students at Northern Illinois University.

(Audience note: Our list of 1st year Latinx Participants will come from the List that is provided
by the university to the Latino Resource Center.)

Presentation:
20 Minutes will be dedicated for the presentation by the Financial Aid Office

20 Minutes will be dedicated to the presentation by Tutor Center

20 Minutes will be dedicated to the Career Services office

10 Minutes will be dedicated for direct questions from participants to the office representatives.

Activity:
(Activity Note: The attendance of the event will impact how the activity can be done. If
attendance is low the activity can be done in one large group. The activity can be completed
individually by students if attendance is high)

10 minutes: will be dedicated to completing a 5 question scenario worksheet regarding the

presentations, that students can keep as a reference for the future. Students should identify what
office would be best in adding in the stated scenario. The qualtrics survey for this workshop will
also be administered at this time.

Worksheet
There will be a total of 6 scenarios allowing for 2 scenarios per office. These scenarios will be
randomized and students will identify what office should be utilized to aid the specific scenarios
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(E) 1st Year Latinx Workshop Series 4 Year Survey :

https://niu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3lVBN8OQpAjUytT
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(F) Individual Workshop Exit Survey:

https://niu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0oDlLMU4VZHtglT